Popovich breaks all-time NBA wins record, LeBron scores 50 as Lakers respond

LA, March 12: Gregg Popovich has overtaken Don Nelson as the coach with the most wins of all time in NBA after the San Antonio Spurs recovered to beat the Utah Jazz 104-102.

The Spurs trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter of Friday's game but rallied to make it 1,336 wins for Popovich in the competition, one more than long-time friend Nelson.

Popovich, who is in his 26th season with San Antonio, was mobbed by his players before being congratulated in a video message by Nelson after his historic win.

Donovan Mitchell led the scoring for Spurs and Rudy Gobert added 13 points and 16 rebounds as the Spurs picked up just a second win in seven outings.

Popovich's side are 26-41 for the season and sit 11th in the Western Conference with a .388 win percentage, while the Jazz are fourth on 41-25.

James inspires Lakers, more history beckons

Events at AT&T Center only slightly overshadowed LeBron James' latest impressive feat as he starred in the Los Angeles Lakers' 122-109 win over the Washington Wizards.

James scored 50 points for the 15th time in his career, while becoming the first Lakers player with 50+ points in back-to-back home games since Kobe Bryant in 2007.

The four-time MVP is also the first player in NBA history to have a 50-point game followed by a triple-double followed by another 50-point game in what is a remarkable streak.

With six rebounds, James moved past Dikembe Mutombo into 12th place on the NBA's career defensive rebounds list with 8,553.

He is just two assists away from becoming the first player ever to reach 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists in NBA history.

Malik Monk scored 21 points and Talen Horton-Tucker added 15 for the Lakers, who rallied from behind to snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 29-37.

Raptors hold off Suns, Morant hits 37 in Grizzlies win

The Phoenix Suns fell 117-112 to the Toronto Raptors in their first game since becoming the first team to secure a playoff spot.

Gary Trent Jr scored 42 points as the Raptors held off a fightback from the short-handed Suns, who suffered just a 14th defeat in 67 games this season.

Elsewhere on Friday, Bam Adebayo showed his attacking qualities with 30 points and 17 rebounds in the Miami Heat's 117-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Memphis Grizzlies saw off the New York Knicks 118-114 thanks to Ja Morant's 37-point showing, 15 of those coming in a fourth-quarter rally.

Luke Doncic's 30 points landed the Dallas Mavericks a 113-100 win over the Houston Rockets, and Jayson Tatum had 31 as the Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 114-103.